A Thousand Paper Cranes
by Alithea
Summary: Dorothy decides to leave the princess once and for all to seek a life less grand. Slight F/F content. Re-edit 2010.
1. Sunrise

**Title: A Thousand Paper Cranes  
****Chapter 1: Sunrise  
****Rating: PG  
****Some Shoujo-ai content  
****The poetry here in is mine.  
****Gundam Wing and the characters do not belong to me in any way. I am just borrowing.**

She lies low with me  
Resting her tired head on my shoulder  
To whisper her worries  
And she wants to sing a song  
That's deeper and sadder  
Perhaps even happier and lighter  
Than she can bare  
And as the lamplights dim  
The sun begins its quick rise  
She refuses to cry and clings instead  
To the comfort of my embrace  
You know sometimes she thinks I'm strong  
But you know I've been weaker than can be imagined  
So we sit on the bed as the sky turns red  
And I tell her that I'll help her if I can  
We are ready for sleep  
But some wounds cut too deep  
A little silence will do  
To replace one night's dreams

The sun was always a much unwelcome companion to her, especially after an evening of embracing the paler light of the moon. It was her nature, she found, to be made of moonlight, and her physical being reflected that sentiment greatly as her hair was an ashen shade of blonde, her skin could be almost ghostly pale, and her eyes were as the grey clouds that swept across the face of a full moon. She held a great respect for the things that happened in the dark, just as she suspected her one true enemy, sometimes lover (always they attracted and repelled each other), held a deep regard for the things that occurred in the light.

Dorothy walked slowly through the pristine hallways of Relena Darlain's (she could never stomach the thought of calling the girl a Peacecraft) palace and marveled at how easily the ash of the princess's defeat was so easily repaired and glossed over. How with a simple stroke of a brush and a bit of new plaster a wall was repaired and no sign of wear or battle remained. She felt, as the morning began to stir the inner workings of the palace (servants scattering, guests dressing, guards rotating in and out of shifts) that things were too easily forgotten by buildings and the people who wanted to repair them.

There had been a fire within those halls, bullets sprayed against the glass, and soldiers trampled over the dream of a peaceful kingdom, but with five years past and gone the building was whole again and unscarred. She herself did not feel as lucky as the building she was treading through. She herself lost nights of sleep to her own warring actions and the things she had seen others do, she who was someone who believed, and still did, in the necessity of fighting, but with less lust than before. It bothered her that the palace was rebuilt and void of injury, it bothered her greatly as did most of the speeches she had ever heard Relena give out (poisoned chocolates to unwitting children) to the world and the colonies.

Lost in her thoughts she walked passed the turn to her own room and quickly found herself in the kitchen. The staff ignored her intrusion, bustling around her preparing breakfast, brunch, tea, and even the beginnings of lunch were well on the way. Realizing her mistake she turned back for her room, grinning inwardly at how well behaved she was for not stabbing into one of the cooks for his backhanded insult towards her error. She could have been vicious, she could have said something that would have put him in his place and made him feel like a rodent, but she was extra forgiving that morning as she was extra contemplative about her fate.

Dorothy understood that saying yes to Relena's invitation was a mistake. She understood that living in the old palace and playing nice with certain ex-soldiers and pilots would weigh on her and try what little patience she had towards certain people. But more importantly, she understood that agreeing had another price that she was not so willing to pay. In fact she out right refused the charges of that particular bill. And thus far everything was going well for her.

"Lost?"

The sound of his voice was as simply brooding as ever, dark in tone, but well meaning in the question. Dorothy breathed a sigh of something that was nearly relief, but probably sounded like irritation. There was a part of her that was afraid she would never get another chance to talk to Heero Yuy ever again. And there was a part of her that was a little afraid to even venture down what seemed an ugly road far away in a desperately vile past. She turned to him and managed to refrain from putting on a show, the show of the bemused goddess granting an audience.

"No, not lost," she stated softly. "Although, I did manage a rather nice job of missing my room."

"Hn," was his lamentable reply, and he watched with those darkly intriguing blue eyes of his as she grinned.

It was her opinion that he understood Relena as well if not better than she did. It was also of her opinion that while he wanted to protect his ex-princess he could not be the prince to complete the fairy tale. Dorothy respected that about him, and she respected that he could say so much with such a simple noise as, "Hn."

He crossed his arms over his chest and asked, "How long have you been living here?"

"Nearly six months now. I bet you thought I had gotten the same strange invitation that she sent to everyone else." She tried not to sound too happy about her presumption.

"Is she retiring?"

The straight forwardness of the question took her off guard. It wasn't that she didn't believe Heero capable of guessing the purpose of the massive invite, but that he figured she would actually know what the party was for. In point of fact she had absolutely no idea why Relena was having the gathering, she could only make the guess that Heero had.

"I actually don't know. I'm not privy to her every whim."

"I suppose…I had thought that perhaps…"

"Oh come now, Heero, are you actually going say it? I wouldn't, but that is only because nothing is to be presumed."

He nodded in strange acknowledgement and then walked off slowly towards the library.

She loves me at times  
I see in her eyes that she wants  
But she wants what is cold  
An icy prison to freeze her thoughts  
To calm a fire grown wild  
A forest deeply over grown  
She waits for me to come to her  
She waits in the dark for my touch  
But I know better than to give in  
And in denying her  
I've found another bed to drown my passion

Entering the crisp and fresh lightness of her untouched and unused bedroom, (only unused for that evening, only untouched just for one night in the entire six months she had been there), Dorothy let loose an audible click (nasty habit of hers clicking her tongue but she could never seem to grow out of it) of vexation at the sight of a diplomat lying in her bed. The young woman was clearly asleep, honey blonde hair pulled back, but still lengths of it sticking to her face.

The young woman stirred at the weight of Dorothy sitting on the bed. She cleared a bit of sleep from her blue eyes, stretched her arms and smiled briefly at the sight of the returned young woman, and then she frowned noting the look of unhappiness washed in the stormy grey eyes of the woman she wanted to love. Relena swung her legs over the edge of the opposite side of the bed, shoulders rolling forward in waiting for the question that was inevitably coming.

"How long have you been waiting here for me?" Dorothy asked in a low tone that felt stern and distant.

The ex-princess shrugged though she knew the other woman was not watching her, and then sighed in a way that meant she understood her defeat, but did not accept it. She breathed out the words as if they were a eulogy to what was lost between the two of them. "I've been waiting since after supper last night. You stayed out all night I see. I know you can stay out in the gardens for lengths of time when the moon is bright…but-"

"Relena." She turned to view the back of the diplomat's head, honey blonde locks slightly mussed from sleep, and continued by softly saying, "You shouldn't wait for me. You should have gone back to your room when you saw I was not here."

"I know."

"Then why wait?"

"Who were you with?"

Stormy gray eyes shut and she took a moment to refrain from yelling, to keep from arguing, because to argue with Relena was just another way of giving in to what she no longer wanted. She was tired of the play. Tired of the game they played, for it had already lasted too long with no clear victor save time. So, she stood from the bed and walked over to the small vanity at the other side of the room, sat, removed her hair band, and began to brush out her hair.

After the twentieth stroke of the brush through her hair Dorothy said simply, "It is not really any of your concern, after all, we are not lovers, and have not been for a…very long time. However, let me assure your more jealous side that I was with no one."

"I-"

"I shouldn't have come back," was the quick interruption. "And I'll be leaving once this gathering you've called is through. We can't even be friends Relena. We can't even try, because you still want to play and I've long since left the game."

There was little left to be said after that. The defeated diplomat removed herself from the room and Dorothy finished brushing out her hair. In her throat the stormy eyed young woman could feel a lump of regret forming, and it wanted desperately for her to cry. She refused though, stepping away from the vanity to the closet to pull out already packed suitcases. She placed her hand on one and whispered to the room a secret, something that only old walls made new could keep.

In a way  
I wanted to wish for something lighter than this  
I wanted a story bold and true  
I wanted an ending with a sunset view  
But it strikes me now  
And it always had  
That we can only end one way  
We can only pretend  
For happy endings never looked so false  
Than when you whispered, "I love you"  
As I walked out

The evening came too quickly, and people rushed from a glorious dinner to a sterling party that was more glitter than many were used to. Dorothy had spent most of her evening exchanging bizarre glances with Heero and Relena from a distant corner in which she attempted to find pleasure in her conversation with some ex-soldier of OZ who was at least charmingly bitter. She could tell by the way he spoke, and the things he spoke about that she could like him given better circumstances. Unfortunately, she was not up for the role of beguiling goddess and vexing Devil's advocate, which were the roles she played rather well, especially towards unsuspecting people like the one-time soldier she was talking to. She stepped out of her conversation just long enough to retrieve a cup of the champagne punch and have a disturbing little chat with one of the ex-Gundam pilots about justice and its higher meanings when a grateful savior stepped in.

Quatre still looked the young and caring youth she knew him to be. It had taken her two years before she could even conceive of seeking him out and speaking with him, but once she did she found herself welcome and much forgiven. He grinned at her as he approached.

"Good evening, Dorothy," he said and nodded towards his fellow ex-pilot before continuing, "care to dance?"

"I'd love to. You will beg my pardon for stepping out on what has been…nothing short of an intriguing conversation, Mr. Chang," she said with her usual clever lilt.

The dance was a bit awkward, if only because Quatre was a little shorter than she was, and not the best lead. She was happy to enjoy the music and the lack of conversation, knowing full well that the moment of peace would be broken.

"You look miserable," he said softly.

She looked into his light blue eyes, eyes that could never hide their sincerity or concern, and tried to find a smiling lie, but whispered instead, "I am miserable."

"You're leaving her again, aren't you?"

"Of course," she replied with a little more spirit as he spun her out. Upon her return she mentioned, "I had no choice."

The music stopped and the other dancers clapped their appreciation to the band as Quatre and Dorothy headed out of the ballroom and to the quiet of a dark patio.

"She won't say it, Quatre," Dorothy began quickly, pacing as she talked. "She never will and I have to leave because… Because, things threaten to become complicated."

"That doesn't sound like you, to be afraid of complications." He sat on a small stone bench and watched her pace.

"No? Well, I have to say some complications are not worth exploring, and I am presently at that point where- Well, I know what I want, Quatre, for once I do know, and she still can not make up her mind. Besides, there is another matter."

"Someone else?" From anyone else the question would have been insulting, but from Quatre, whom she regarded as a good friend because who else but he could ever look her in the eye and tell her she was forgiven, it was simply a question and a sincerely asked one at that. He was not accusing with it, he was just asking.

"Sort of. It is the idea of someone else, Quatre, the idea that this other woman would make me happier, could with just a single word, because she sees right through the act." She stopped her pacing and came to sit next to him. She clicked her tongue and said, "I did not come back here because the princess and I were going to give it another try. I made that clear the first night I arrived, and this new thing…this- What is it?"

"A chance?"

She grinned. "Cute… and maybe you're right, but whatever it is, I want to run from it and take the time to see if I can handle it. To be alone for a while and just wait it out."

"So now that you've gotten that off your chest, what is it that is making you miserable?"

Dorothy chuckled in a way that very few were ever granted permission to hear. It was not a mocking chuckle. It was not a haughty guffaw. It was the clear sound that a person can make when she knows that she has been caught, in what does not matter, all that matters is that the sound signified a fault. And faults were not things the stormy eyed young woman was privy to admitting, especially when it came to the current subject.

"I am miserable," she began almost playfully, but her tone dipped almost immediately to something heavier as she continued, "because this _chance_, I feel- It has a way of being a worse situation than I ever leant myself to with the princess. I'm not sure I want the responsibility that would go along with it, and aside from that I'm not sure I'm ready for it."

Quatre made a queer sort of face and then sighed heavily. "Then I guess you'll have to take your time and not rush head long into anything."

"I guess, my dear, I guess… and pray that chance doesn't slip away."

The almost shy young man quietly departed back to the ballroom after a silent insistence made by Dorothy to be left alone for a few moments to ponder her fate.

She grinned at her misfortune, for she could do little else, and then, finding something like an answer, she went inside for the remainder of the ball.

I would…  
But for the lady  
I would do  
But for beauty  
I could  
But for her smile  
I could go  
But for her voice  
And everything she is  
Is soft and cold  
And everything she gives  
Is light and harsh  
Almost easy and yet...  
Within her eyes is reluctance  
So I would and I could  
But for her  
But for this kiss  
This moment in which she begs for me

The announcement from Relena was as Heero had guessed. With a graceless speech brimming with sentiment the princess announced her departure from the political stage to pursue some private ventures. A good half of those attending the event applauded with little enthusiasm as the other half (mostly all politicians and a few ex-soldiers still enamored by the girl's "passion for peace") applauded with enough gusto to make up for those that did not see the retirement in the same light. It was not that those who knew Relena well did not want her to leave her post, they just questioned her true motives for quitting and wondered how long it would take before some other rallying cause would pull the diplomat back onto the stage the girl so loathed.

Dorothy greeted her host as the girl stepped down from making her speech. For a brief moment the girl could see in the young woman's eyes the need to say something dreadfully upsetting, and it made the girl happy. But the moment vanished in an instant and the princess was left once more in the place Dorothy had put her.

"I had to stay for the speech," Dorothy said quietly, walking with ex-princess towards the door of the ballroom. "You know, it was one of your best, almost convincing in its delivery, but lacking somehow in believability."

"You," she began and then cleared her throat to fight the tears she knew she shouldn't cry, "are leaving now…I take it?"

"I thought it best not to prolong my departure. Try not to get yourself into trouble with your private ventures. I very much doubt I could make the airfare to come and say, 'I told you so', in person."

"You could write."

"Are you already planning on failing? So soon after such a speech?" She bit back her want to chuckle mercilessly. "One day, I think, your speeches will not be able to save you."

Relena only nodded, glancing behind her quickly.

The pale blonde sighed, almost irritated, almost completely insulted, and slightly ashamed to have to point out, "He's been keeping an eye on you since you stepped off the stage."

"I-"

"You shouldn't be so shocked that I know he's there. Will you let him go, I wonder, now that you are retiring?"

There was no response so Dorothy took the instance to exit the ballroom as quickly as she could. No good bye, or happy farewell, no she had to leave in silence. A quiet moment was so much more than she thought the princess deserved, but she gave it as a courtesy since she wanted to completely abandon the masquerade of their long relationship.

Upon reaching her room she grabbed the already packed suitcases and made her way out of the palace where Pagan had her car waiting. She nodded at him for being so prepared, probably by Relena's orders. She tossed her suitcases into the backseat of the old car, which seemed in contrast to her usual tastes, slid in behind the wheel, and rambled off down the drive to the road. She felt a freedom she had never expected to be granted, and while the moon was not full she could feel it shine on her, lighting the way to a path she had not considered before.

We lost the love before we began  
We took the time to watch us fade  
And in the end as I step out the door  
All I can think is I knew of this ending long before  
I will travel  
I will venture to find  
A piece of me I had left behind  
Sometime soon will you call on me  
Or will you understand this ending  
Know we could never be  
That something like forever you always thought you would need

To be continued…


	2. Departure Bay

**Title: A Thousand Paper Cranes  
****Chapter 2: Departure Bay  
****The poetry is mine  
****Gundam Wing and its characters do not belong to me in any way.**

It took some time, but eventually Dorothy found herself neatly settled in a coastal city she had always enjoyed taking trips to with her family. Her memories of family outings were not all pleasant ones as most vacations were all properly arranged so that her family and its good name would be seen in all the right places, at all the right times. However, the visits to the quaint (it could be described as nothing else, brimming with little shops, a boardwalk complete with historically reconstructed rides, and excellent little out of the way restaurants with fantastic views) seaside town were one of the very few times when money, fame, and political maneuvering had nothing to do with the vacation.

The house she bought was small, only one bedroom, one bathroom, a tiny living room, and a perfect kitchen for a single person. It was an old house that needed some repairs, the roof was prone to a few leaks in the winter (so the previous owner confessed to her) and the plumbing was not the worlds best. She considered what she was going to do and opted to leave the house with as many faults as could be allowed, so the plumbing was given the small repairs it required and the roof was patched but not fully repaired (it would leak if the rain came down too hard). If any of her relatives on the Catalonia side of the family had been alive to see the house they would have denied anyone of their name was living there. But that was what she was going for, because her life was always filled with big things. Bigger houses than her family ever had use for, Olympic sized pools, vast gardens that stretched for acres and were never fully explored, not to mention huge vehicles rarely driven, and an excess of technological toys that hardly anyone could operate. Thinking about it, Dorothy was sure the only person who might approve of her new living space was her very distant cousin, but then even he had all the big things (but he did live quiet simply, as a soldier should).

She learned that her house had a history in the war, and that was what really sold her. Looking about the outside of the house and even inside she could see the scars left on the wood from bullets and the place where some rebel had marked out the days on a windowsill. It was perfect for her, and she found herself immediately comfortable in the miniscule space.

Her days were spent in a routine of reading, and walking the mile into the town to eat at what was fast becoming her favorite restaurant. She would peruse the shops for anything that might strike her fancy, and she chatted with the locals about the past (there were some that remembered her as a little girl, and some that recalled seeing her in the background of a few news casts about Relena Darlain). The boardwalk too was a favorite place for her to people watch (her favorite spot was the bench near the haunted castle ride) and observe the intricacies of human nature.

The entire town was a lesson in quiet and patience which Dorothy discovered she was mature enough to finally handle. Although, she did notice that her time spent in learning distracted her from what she had originally intended to do, which was contemplate the _chance_ that had presented itself to her just before Relena's party. That other woman she had mentioned to Quatre had slipped from her mind almost completely, but she soon found that life had an interesting way of presenting things.

Fire wings catch on everything  
How much faster can you go  
Burning every bridge you run across  
Icy eyes are not enough  
To cool your flight  
And violet only warms the throbbing heat  
Fire wings burn in lovely colors  
Through a lady of elegance  
Killing knights and breaking the moon  
But in wheat and honey fields  
Your wings will lose their luster  
They will smolder in the soil  
Under the light and soft  
Of a blue sky

After about three months of completely ignoring her correspondence she picked up a letter from Quatre. The contents were interesting but nothing spectacular. It was the photo that went along with the letter that Dorothy found most intriguing, as it showed Quatre standing next to Trowa and some young woman she did not recognize in front of a circus tent. On the back of the photo was the caption: "Something Like Bliss" next to a heart drawn in black pen. She was happy for him, it was nice to know he was doing well, and so she figured it might be good of her to return the favor.

She trotted down to the boardwalk and picked up a postcard (it was completely cliché having the city name in scripted lettering above an overhead shot of the entire boardwalk) from one of the gift shops. She scribbled: "Wish you were here" on the back, addressed it and sent it off in the mail.

The knock on the door a few weeks after the postcard had been sent off was expected. The dark blue and brooding eyes of Heero Yuy that met her as she opened the door were not.

Heero walked into the small house regarding the place without any real outward expression on his face, but the platinum blonde goddess could almost sense his approval (not that she particularly cared for it). In his left hand was the postcard she had sent and while she had thus far restrained herself from making any glib little remarks at his sudden appearance she could not contain the observation.

"Did Quatre even see that," she began as she motioned for the ex-pilot to take a seat, "or did you swipe it from his mail box?"

Heero chuckled softly, a thing she was not in any way accustomed to seeing or hearing. In fact she could not even remember seeing the young man so much as crack a smile in her presence. She quirked an eyebrow and sat opposite him on a cushy bright orange chair (it was completely out of place among the rest of the furniture pieces, which were darker in color and ever so slightly antique in design) to await his answer.

"I took it from his desk," he said coolly, and then not missing a beat he asked, "Have you read the papers lately?"

She sighed. "Only the real paper, the one with actual news in it. Why?"

"Just wondered, there's an interesting article in one of them about the Sanq Kingdom."

Dorothy smirked. "Well, thankfully, I no longer really care about that kingdom. Why are you here Heero? I would ask if she sent you, but I highly doubt that to be the case."

"Of course, I didn't think you would presume anything."

She sighed and then asked, "Can I interest you in something to drink? Tea, coffee, water… a double Scotch perhaps?"

"I won't be here much longer."

"So sorry to hear that." Her sarcasm was unhidden.

He set the postcard down on the coffee table in front of him, and looked off towards the window. There was a great view from the rather small bay window, as just outside was an unattended garden of wildflowers and clover, passed that were a few tall trees (some redwood, some cypress, and what looked to be cedar), and then a cliff edge which promised of a cold ocean crashing below. It seemed he did not want to speak, but had to out of necessity, as if what he was going to say was a revelation, and yet, perhaps, just a revelation to him alone.

He cleared his throat and spoke, "I'm getting married next week."

The comment threatened to stab at Dorothy's heart.

"The day of the party I told Relena I was engaged, and she burst into tears, but she wasn't crying because I was no longer available for her to dream about."

"Did she say that?"

"She didn't have to, but I found it odd that I should know that. That I realized she didn't need me to watch her and make sure she wasn't harmed. But what was even odder to me that night was when you left and she wouldn't cry."

"Heero," her voice was like the cold crash of the ocean upon rocky shores, "is there a point?"

He seemed almost saddened by the remark, "She really loved you."

"I know that."

"And you really loved her."

"That needs no remarking. Is she in trouble, Heero? Are you here to tell me I should fly back to her side to save her from whatever mess she's fallen to? I've done that before, and the game between her and I only grew."

He looked at the postcard and sighed, "I'm here because I wanted to ask you when you realized she didn't want you to save her either?"

She smiled. "I knew that from the beginning, but she did not realize it until much later. Why does it matter?"

"I guess it doesn't. I was just… curious."

He got up and walked to the door. He took no offense that Dorothy did not rise to see him out.

As he opened the door he mentioned offhandedly almost cryptically, "Sometimes in the moonlight things look more beautiful than they actually are, but other times only that light can show a thing's true nature."

Then he left and as the door shut Dorothy was left with the awkward work of trying to discover the meaning in what Heero had said.

I'm not so bitter  
I can see a way through  
I see you  
And in this vision  
I want to tell you a truth  
To whisper something sacred  
Something secret  
That only you could appreciate  
But our ties are all gone  
And we have left behind the silliness of love songs  
So I journey on through this life  
To find what I've been missing

After a few days of intentionally ignoring her mind's driving need to unearth the mystery of Heero Yuy and his departing words (she would drift there if she wasn't careful and her dreams of course would not let her be, but still she managed to really avoid thinking of it) Dorothy Catalonia finally stepped outside her nature to peer into the matter. She sat outside in her mess of a garden on a weary stone bench, she was in full summer mode at the time, wearing a light white dress and a big white sun hat (it was a tribute in an offhanded way to the women in her family who always seemed to dress that way for the beach and summer), and came to a very easy supposition. The conclusion was that the brooding ex-pilot had seen her talking to someone in the palace gardens and had jumped to (how could he not the perceptive boy) an inevitable assumption.

It was perhaps the right assumption for him to make, but surely finding her living alone would have done a job of clearing away any clichéd stupidity that she had left Relena for another woman. The point of the fact was that Dorothy had left for herself, and she would have left whether she had accidentally met someone in the garden on that long night or not. Her trouble with the princess was never that the girl did not love her, but simply that the words could never seem to be uttered. That the image of the princess was too fragile to carry the additional weight of a love interest, even if half the tabloids (on earth and the colonies) wrote stories about and printed pictures of the diplomat and whomever her lover at the time happened to be.

And there was another reason, one which Dorothy could only stand to a point and then take no longer, but it was a reason she did not like to linger on because it hurt to do so, and the blonde was not one who liked to dwell on what made her weak, especially when that weakness was someone like Relena Darlain.

For a moment she felt overwhelmed by everything she was thinking of. There were (as there was for anything in life no matter the situation) multiple things that made her leave, and while she focused her attention on two in particular there was indeed a third. And it appeared on that night in the garden. Too much contemplation was something she did not want to spend time on in the hot sun, so she went into her house changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and a nice light blouse and walked down to the town for a long and late lunch.

On her way down she bordered on deep thought, but truly needing the rest she took to whistling random songs to keep her mind off topic. When she finally reached the town it was near three o'clock and she stepped into the cool of her favorite restaurant, taking her normal place on the patio with the full view of the boardwalk and beach (even so late it teamed with tourists on summer holiday).

She ordered a light dinner (it was indeed too late for lunch) and a good wine to accompany it, slipping into the thoughts she had briefly broken from with her first sips of what was an excellent vintage. Remembering that she had gone to the gardens to avoid Relena and that she had left the gardens to avoid falling into something too soon. All it took to make her heart start to shudder was a wonderful phrase, "We are much better rivals than she and you ever were, do you think, aside from trying to make me furious, that is why you made that offer to me so many years ago? Do you think after tonight you could consider this as more than just an offer to infuriate you?"

The questions had been put to her so simply after an evening of conversation, that Dorothy had to admit, was one of her better moments at digging into someone. It was such a match, and she came away feeling like she wanted nothing more than to have that match over and over again until she could claim a clear victory or even (she had to admit) a clear loss.

Yes, she would have even been happy to lose to that woman, but she ran away instead. Not literally of course, that would have been beneath her. Rather she countered the question as to make a clear way to leave for her room.

The feeling she had, going over the memory, made her course of action clear. She only hoped that it wasn't too much of an assumption that the offer would still stand.

The dinner arrived and it was exquisite. She finished off another glass of wine, and decided to skip dessert so that she might get home before it got too dark and the fog began to roll in. On her way home she stopped at a small stationary store and picked up an unusual post card.

Stepping into her house she went to her phone, made a brief search in her phone book and made a call.

"Mari," her voice trilled into the receiver, "I need a favor, would you mind helping me out? And try to keep your guardian from finding out."

After a few minutes of chatting on the phone she pulled out a sheet of paper and jotted down an address, appreciating her knack for having great connections, and cutely devious ones at that.

The dark is laid out  
The colors washed in the night  
And all that remains is the light  
Of stars and the moon  
That reflection of the greater sun  
I walk along in thoughts of you  
My steps are those of a thousand paper cranes  
As they wish in desperation for answers  
As they fly in the dark to something new  
The dark is laid out  
A sky washed in black  
I walk alone in thoughts of you  
A thousand paper cranes are sent out  
With a wish  
And the wish is…  
Surprisingly not you

To be continued…


	3. Confidence for Quiet

**Title: A Thousand Paper Cranes  
****Chapter 3: Confidence for Quiet  
****Poetry is mine.  
****Gundam Wing and it's characters do not belong to me I am just borrowing.  
**

The current rushes swiftly past  
As I stand at the edge and wonder  
Am I ready for the dive  
Am I ready for the surprise  
The quick chill of the water over me  
The rush to escape the rocks below  
The wind moves ever quicker  
Pushes me closer and I wonder  
Shall I go into this unknown  
Shall I race to the end and capture my prize  
The softness therein of a beauty's embrace  
The pull to something that might only end in heartaches

The summer was drawing to a quick close with no response to the postcard Dorothy had mailed off after covertly attaining the address from Mariemea. (It could never really be proven as the bloodlines wore so thin amongst the aristocracy, but somewhere inside Dorothy understood that Treize's heir was indeed family and did her best to at least have a passing role as wicked fairy godmother in the girl's life). She never expected a response to come quickly, in fact she did not expect a response at all. What was important to her was that the message was sent and if it was received and understood then perhaps someday the woman would wander to her door step, and if the message was never received then it was just a way of fate saying, "So sorry, not this time I'm afraid. Do try looking elsewhere."

In the meantime the pale blonde was happy for the company she was receiving. Quatre and Trowa made a pleasant stop to check on her, and since she had the both of them there she made good use of them. And while moving a piano was in no way what the two young men expected to be doing on their visit, they were nonetheless roped into helping.

The door of the small house was thrown open with a loud bang and a few grunts of discomfort could be heard from outside along with the occasional strange sound of a piano being moved (something like random keys being hit in conjunction with the sound of a piano hitting the ground). The first to enter was a tall and slender young man with impossible hair, who despite his wiry frame seemed to have little trouble pulling the piano (it was on what looked like two homemade skateboards with office chair wheels) into the house. He stopped tugging at it once the instrument was completely in the house along with Quatre who was a bit red in the face from pushing the thing.

With a large huff the blonde young man leaned against the piano noting the small space that had been picked out for the instrument to occupy and asked in exasperation, "Dorothy, is this even going to fit over there?"

"I measured it. It will fit exactly in that spot near the window and against the wall," she replied from outside, stepping in just in time to receive a slight glare from Trowa. "I'm so glad you boys came along to help me."

"Couldn't you have hired movers," Trowa asked in a low tone.

"Yes, but you were already here, so I thought why waste the money. Besides, now that there is an instrument in the house we three can play a little together," was the sugary response.

The boys just shook their heads and continued the work of moving the piano into its place. It did fit just as Dorothy said it would, along the wall perfectly nestled between the couch and the bay window. The most difficult task was lifting it off the wheels the shop had lent them for the move, but it was done. The piano was a little out of tune, but, still, it was done.

"I'll have someone come by and tune it," she commented quickly as she sat down and pressed her fingers onto a few keys. "Between the three of us we'd make an excellent trio."

Quatre collapsed onto the couch and breathed, "I don't think my violin playing is that good. Do you have anything to eat?"

"Nonsense, Quatre, you play fabulously, and I hear Trowa can play an instrument as well." She eyed the taller young man and he merely raised both eyebrows with the subtlest of grins. She continued, "And at the moment I think I have an apple in the house to eat, maybe some oatmeal in the cupboard."

There was an audible groan from the couch.

Dorothy smirked. "For someone who's piloted a Gundam you complain an awful lot. Don't worry, we can just head to the town and I'll treat you two to dinner."

Her fingers pressed into the keys a few more times. It had been ages since she'd touched a musical instrument, but her fingers remembered their place even if they were a bit off at times in their strokes. She was happy. She'd been dying for the upright piano since she first saw it in the antique shop. It was so sloppily elegant she couldn't help herself, the wood was wearing, the abalone shell inlay was peeling off and missing in places, it was perfectly imperfect. It suited her little house flawlessly.

With everything finally settled and to keep her guests from expiring from lack of food Dorothy graciously offered to drive into town. She even put the top down on her ancient Volkswagen convertible bug (hell or high water those cars lasted for centuries and could be repaired at the drop of a hat when needed) so that they could feel like proper beach bums. The three ate, of course, at her favorite restaurant which was called Nighttime Birds.

Over a bottle of wine and a good meal the three chatted up a storm. Being away from most of the world's gossip the young woman was eager to learn what was going on. There wasn't much interesting as it turned out, and so from gossip to music to why she had decided to move to such a little out of the way vacation spot was placed on the table for proper discussion. Most of the talking was done by Dorothy and Quatre, as Trowa quietly listened between sips of his wine only making the occasional comment where needed.

"And speaking of things like that," Dorothy said reaching into her bag and pulling out the delinquent post card that Heero had left with her, "I believe this was stolen from you a while back."

Bright blue eyes blinked back in shock as he took the object. "How?"

"Heero took it," she replied quickly.

"I told you he had," Trowa chirped quickly.

"Why?"

"He just had a question for me, for some reason he just couldn't ask if you knew were I was. Don't worry about it. You see, it has been returned to you once more."

"Dorothy, about that night at the party, the _chance_? I've been meaning to ask you if…" He trailed off noting the distant look in his friend's eyes.

"It came and went dearest, came and went. I didn't try very hard for it though. I lost myself in the swell of moving on with my life and settling down for a little while. I'm quite enjoying this boring life alone."

The young man with impossible hair brushed his fingers through his brown tresses and chuckled. "Almost sounds as if you're ready for a little excitement."

For an instant the comment almost went unnoticed, but then she could always tell when Trowa was trying to tell her something, it was typically very subdued like most things with him were. But she took the task to follow his eye line (as he looked just to the right of her), through the many patrons and settling at the table of a single woman with violet eyes.

"I may be ready, but I think for tonight things should remain as dull as possible. You know, just three old friends gathering for a lovely evening at home."

Trowa grinned and his blonde companion smiled happily for the chance that just seemed to be waiting for Dorothy in the distance.

She says softly  
She says sweetly  
She says with force  
She says with love  
As she says with kindness  
And that look in her eyes  
You are all she wants  
Will you go to her blindly  
Will you go to her quickly  
Will you open up this heart  
As it had stopped beating  
And it had been so broken  
For many a moon and day  
She says lightly  
As she says with fear  
You know that you want her  
But still aren't sure of the cost  
As she whispers without thinking  
That it is all given for free  
You think of your betrayal  
And what it all means

Long ago when the Sanq Kingdom was still clinging to a hope that it could stand as a shining example of passive resistance towards peace, Dorothy Catalonia had arrived as an eager attendant to the Peacecraft School. She went as a favor to her grandfather in order to sum up the situation of the so called "peaceful kingdom", and she went with her homework done as well. She knew a few things upon arriving, that she would not be welcome by most (just on the basis of her relatives alone), and she knew that eventually a Gundam pilot would show up. She loved that she was right on both accounts. She was so prepared to face off against the foes that would present themselves that she was unprepared for how much she would fall in love with Relena Darlain Peacecraft.

It was well after their first meeting when the platinum blonde noticed the feeling. She felt it simply one day as a tickle in the back of her throat while she was having a _chat_ (basically an argument without any screaming) with the young Peacecraft in the gardens. It was one of the more delicious spats she had ever had with someone of her own age. Usually the only good arguments she got involved with were with middle aged men who were never good at pretending they knew what they were talking about. But Relena, the princess that she was, she was fabulous at pretending. It could break a heart, and hearing the girl speak that made Dorothy know what power there was to be had in talk of peace.

Of course talk of peace could only ever be just talk in her stormy eyes that longed for war and battle like most longed for a nice summer day. She was over eager to find a challenge, even as she learned her lessons, she was still eager for one, but she took to choosing them wisely. She listened to the pretty honey blonde as the girl falsely presented her want for peace among earth and the colonies, and she could hear in that wonderful voice a plea to be torn down. And Dorothy nearly delivered on it, she nearly did, but she had already fallen for the charm of a false innocence and so could not completely give in to destroying the girl. She could only prod, irritate, and mock the princess (and she did so with such want and desire in her heart, she loved the game so).

Relena said something (during that _chat_) and of course that lead to an almost catty reply, and as the string of delusions verses sarcasm built there was hardly anywhere else for things to go but to a violence the princess claimed she despised. Yet, instead it took a turn which neither girl could really claim they were ready for, and as a substitution for a slap across her face at what was a grand insult on Dorothy's part there was instead a deep and powerful kiss. It was the end of everything, right there in that moment, the two were trapped and there was no escaping the inevitability that they would someday be a couple.

The situation repeated itself regularly when they were still young and in that kingdom, only the princess would never admit (as she still never would) that it was anything real. But it was hard to deny what was developing as it occurred several times, and the two would chat, then argue and end up locked in some overly passionate embrace. War and peace derived in the flesh as it could not be denied the two seemed constantly entangled within each other. Dorothy remarked once to her princess as they both lay on carpet of the royal bedroom ( a new battle ready to be waged) that the god of war and the goddess of love were secret lovers at times, and wasn't that just funny?

It was a tumultuous time, as any day, any second the Sanq Kingdom could be destroyed. Romerfeller could decide in an instant to lay the kingdom to waste and make an example of what pacifism was really worth in their eyes. It was all so condensed in that palace, the fear and the hope, and it made everything that Dorothy and Relena were doing all the more wondrous and foolish. It was all just ground work for destruction, even with the arrival of a few Gundam pilots there was still nothing more tremendous than what the princess was swayed to at the sound of one girl's very voice. And in turn, Dorothy could feel the strain of what she too had fallen to, perfect treason to her grandfather's wishes. It didn't matter though, it was done and they couldn't stop.

But under all the outward show of the rivalry between Catalonia and Peacecraft there was yet another, unseen by any watching eye. It was the strange battle that occurred between Dorothy and the ever watchful lieutenant, Lucrezia Noin.

To say the two loathed each other was a bright understatement that was an insult to common intelligence. The play was easily disguised as Noin's distrust of having a Catalonia in the palace, but the reality was driven much deeper. The two seemed to know each other's secrets as friends would know each others' favorite color. They would square off in the dead of night as Dorothy happily trotted back to her room after an evening with the princess, and wordless and completely epic arguments would be waged over breakfast in just a miniscule glare from across the table. And one day it drove to an interesting head, the last night of the kingdom, the last day of peace.

It was an entire day before the kingdom would fall and none were the wiser, only those close enough to see could truly view the threat that was forthcoming. Dorothy was strolling down a long hallway back towards her room when she was stopped by the sight Noin walking quickly towards her. Violet eyes locked on gray in a storm of outraged fury.

"We need to talk," the ex-OZ pilot stated sternly as she stopped directly in Dorothy's path.

"Little late for this kind of thing, don't you think? It's nearly sunrise."

"Exactly," was the swift reply, "Aren't you playing it a little close, if anyone found out-"

"If anyone found out she'd be as ruined as rain, although I couldn't really say why, since in these exciting times no one could care less about whom their local politician prefers sleeping with. I suppose then, you are referring to her highness' perfectly appealing virginal appearance in the public eye?"

"It isn't funny Dorothy."

"And I am not laughing," she quickly intruded, "I am not your biggest worry in these walls, Noin. I do not go behind her back and hide the existence of weapons in her peace filled, and warless kingdom. Fear not about the princess' image I take every precaution in ensuring we look very much like the rivals we should be."

"If Romerfeller attacks I'll know you betrayed her."

"If they attack? Noin, you are spending too much time around Relena's fantasies of peace. There is no if. Romerfeller will attack eventually, because there is no bigger threat to their cause of war than our precious little girl. She's a symbol, and she has power because of her sad history. Her natural father destroyed when this kingdom first fell, and her adoptive father killed by terrorists, it's enough to make anyone want to support her. You add to that her excellent acting skills and natural charm and well… you see how little chance this place really does have."

Violet eyes narrowed and the woman stepped closer to growl, "You have no right to be in this palace."

"At least I don't follow her orders and do her every bidding like a simpering little puppy to gain her affection. I'm truthful at least. You are here only because your master would not let you go and play with the big boys at his side. He is the rightful heir to this kingdom and he would have done a better job of ensuring its sanctity, blood on his hands or not, instead of toddling all over the galaxy avoiding his true responsibilities all the while casually dropping and picking up new monikers whenever it suits him to do so."

Noin slapped her then. She couldn't help it. The sound of it rung out and echoed in the halls, and was followed closely by a soft and bemused chuckle.

"Do not speak of Relena's brother like that in my presence ever again," Lucrezia Noin warned quickly. "You have no right to even dare make accusations when you have not lived the life of a soldier."

Dorothy clicked her tongue and rubbed her cheek. "You know my mouth tends to get that kind of response an awful lot. I think it has to do with the way I was raised, you know, spare no punches and all that. But really… half of the time that kind of response is just a well hidden step towards foreplay. I'd no idea you wanted me that badly."

There was no response, just a grunt of anger spilling from the older woman's lips as she dashed off down the hallway. Dorothy laughed and continued on her way to her room, unaware of what an impact those final words would have on her enemy at a later time in her life.

It had been over five years since that confrontation had occurred and nearly a year since the lieutenant and the pale blonde had what turned out to be something rather like a coming of age in their friction filled relationship. In a way they almost wanted to remain enemies and they tried for about an hour to do so, but they could not keep up the game as Noin graciously laid out a few questions that Dorothy could not fully answer.

****

She sat in her small house, with Trowa and Quatre, at the piano trying get her fingers to remember the proper notes to a song she always found haunting. As she did so she wished that the boys had brought their instruments and that a certain lady she knew would stop by and offer up her voice for a moment or two. She wanted music to fill the void of nervousness she felt at knowing Lucrezia Noin was in town, and was perhaps there by no mere accident, but with purpose. And what the purpose could be the stormy eyed young woman could only vaguely wish for knowledge of.

She turned from the piano at the sound of a knock at her door. The boys immediately quieted setting their coffee on the table before them, watching the movements of their now flustered friend. It could have been anyone at the door. It could have been the return of a princess, a hero, or yet another old friend.

It could have been anything really, but was it what Dorothy wanted?

She opened the door to violet eyes, and the handsome figure of a woman who had seen her share of the war. There was a postcard dangling from the woman's left hand, it was in the shape of a crane.

"What kept you," Dorothy asked.

"The rain," was all the reply.

The end.


	4. Epilouge: The Poem

**Title A Thousand Paper Cranes  
****Epilouge: The Poem**

A thousand paper cranes  
Taking silent wing  
A thousand paper cranes  
Wordlessly they sing  
All through the night  
During their flight  
To your heart  
I send  
A thousand paper cranes  
Let my wish not be in vain  
For your heart  
I send  
A thousand paper cranes  
Taking silent wing  
All at once they sing  
Don't lose your self  
Don't give up hope  
I am here tonight  
In ghostly form  
To confirm your feelings  
A thousand paper cranes  
In all colors they will fly  
All across the sky  
To your heart  
Silent in their flight  
They will send you here tonight  
Singing all the way  
As the night slowly turns to day  
I do… I do…I do…  
Need you


End file.
